The Corpus Iuris Civilis was issued in three parts, in Latin, during the reign of Justinian (529-534.) This fragment is from the second part, the Digest (Digesta) which compiled the writings of the great Roman jurists such as Ulpian along with current edicts.

Most legal texts in the early centuries were produced in Italy, as was this manuscript. Bologna was the center for the study of law, and textbooks like this, with commentary surrounding the corpus text, were produced in the 13th and 14th centuries.